To investigate the hypothesis, a further operationalization of the independent
variable is necessary. The literature reviewed identified the following
characteristics of a public affairs response:

PLANNING STAGE + EXECUTION STAGE = RESPONSE Formation of a team Understanding of media
Prompt, coordinatedCohesive training
Speed, On Scene
salient, response
Internal InformationThe level of response can be based on the presence or absence of these
characteristics in a particular military crisis situation which can be
accomplished by way of a survey.

Response Characteristics Survey

Sommer and Sommer (1997) suggest that a survey would be an appropriate
method for determining the need for further research, experimentation,
and study of a research question proposed. As part of this overall research
effort, a survey like the one proposed in this report should be fielded
to a sample from each of the component services in the Department of Defense.
An initial employment of this survey should be to no fewer than 20 officers
from each service, and all respondents must have been deployed in the initial
stages of a crisis situation. For purposes of this survey, these officers
should be considered to be combat arms officers or significant leaders
within the task force leadership. A like sample of 20 officers or senior
Non-Commissioned Officers from each service who is serving in Public Affairs
billets would also be queried.

Using methodology found in works like Sommer and Sommer (1997), the
results and feedback provided by this two-page survey would provide a more
accurate sensing of the state of expectation and actual experience from
the field, and would be a strong indicator of the need or lack of need
for changes in the organization, staffing, and equipping of PA organizations
to meet the needs of supporting a force during the critical opening hours
of a deployment. While this survey lacks the external validity of an established
set of questions which have been well-proven through extensive research
efforts, it should at least provide the basis for further questions and
information gathering efforts. In addition, the results of such a survey,
when combined with a content analysis covering the same contingency, adds
the ability to control future crises. This comes from the ability to gauge
the timing of previous deployments of military public affairs officials
and media framing. An analysis of the results should consist of a factor
analysis, which should indicate that the independent variable can be operationalized
in levels. These levels of response will vary from no public affairs presence
through levels of increased uses of planning and execution characteristics
identified from the private sector. Therefore, further analysis should
include a factorial design that can be measured through an analysis of
variation (ANOVA) or multiple regression, depending on the levels of measurement
most appropriate.

It is the opinion of the authors that the results will show that the
more characteristics of a prompt, coordinated, and salient response are
present during the initial stages of a rapidly developing crisis situation,
the more likely it is that there will be an increase in positive media
framing. Therefore, it is recommended that an organization encompassing
all of these characteristics be developed and tested.

Provisional JCIRT Proposed Organization

In comparing military public affairs doctrine with current civilian
crisis management theory and methodology, organizational PA shortcoming
in dealing with crisis communications during the initial deployment of
forces in combat or contingency operations was discovered. Joint Pub 1
(1995) calls for trained and ready forces from the component services for
introduction into combat, crisis, or contingency operations. The supporting
joint and component doctrine expands on the need for individuals, units,
and organizations to train as they would fight, and to have strong cohesion.

Joint Pub 3-61 (1997) stresses the need for trained and ready PA assets
that have detailed planning preparation that is developed at the same time
as the overall operational plan. These plans must address all aspect of
PA support, from logistics and transportation to strategic communications
goals and command messages. However, the real and draining constraints
that impact embedded and organic PA assets within an organization, leave
little time or resources to plan and prepare for contingency operations.

In order to address this delta between the need for a trained and ready
crisis communication response capability and existing PA force structure
and assets, research is required, including establishment of a Provisional
(Test) JCIRT under Department of Defense operational control. The JCIRT
would be organized in modular form and would be a standing organization
equipped with state-of-the-art electronic, communication, and lightweight
air transportable vehicles. Ideal stationing for the JCIRT would be on
or adjacent to a large U.S. Air Force base that has strategic aircraft
available for rapid deployment in contingency operations.

The JCIRT would form and train as an organization, preparing for short-
and no-notice deployments to meet mission needs and requirements worldwide
(Joint Pub 3-61, 1997). The modular teams would be cross-trained and have
equal capability for internal information, public communication, and limited
media facilitation and support To meet the organizational structure needs
suggested by Perea and Morrison (1997) and Sconyers (1995), the creation
and staffing of the JCIRT would create an environment for the establishing
of a cohesive crisis communications team. The JCIRT would consist of 8
officers and 10 enlisted personnel, each drawn from the component services
on a fair-share basis. The addition of a planned inclusion of an American
Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) Deploy Team into the JCIRT
structure would take the overall strength to 21, but this AFRTS Deploy
Team would habitually train with JCIRT, and not be included in the overall
end-strength. The inclusion of the AFRTS assets in the JCIRT model is based
on feedback from after-action reviews and strongly suggested by Sconyers
(1995)

Closely linked to the discussion regarding the staffing of the JCIRT
is the selection and composition of the equipment to be used by the team.
Joint Pub 3-61 (1997) and Sconyers (1995) suggest that these PA organizations
be robustly equipped with equipment to conduct effective PA operations
in support of national and command communications efforts to reach target
audiences.

The general equipment proposed outlines the basic PA unique equipment
required for sustained PA operations in the field in a austere environment.
Common military personal (uniforms, personal weapons, protective clothing,
etc.) and organizational (tents, lights sets, field phones, etc.) requirements
would have to be determined from tables of equipment or allocations by
the component services. Regardless, the personnel assigned to the JCIRT
would have to train and work with this equipment in periods preceding deployments.

The task organization and missions of the JCIRT would be developed in
the form of contingency plans and JCIRT standard operating procedures,
as generalized above (Sconyers, 1995; Stanton, 1989). The JCIRT could conduct
training by sending teams to support joint command posts exercises, major
training exercises, or other similar events in the United States and abroad.

The JCIRT personnel would have to maintain individual and team proficiency,
as seen below, and would have to used these as the basis for collective
tasks and objectives in team and JCIRT training scenarios.

Creation and implementation of the JCIRTS structure recommended here
will serve as the independent variable to test out hypothesis. The dependent
variable requiring measurement is the framing of the media. This can be
operationalized as a news report of a military contingency or war operations
on television or in the newspaper. The notion of framing relates to how
the story is characterized, positive or negative. As a manipulation check,
television and newspaper stories also need to be checked for their stated
source (i.e. JCIRT members, Pentagon, or White House.)

Annex A

Please answer the following survey questions based on your experiences
or observations during the initial entry of a Joint Task Force or Combined
Joint Task Force into an area of operation. For the purposes of this survey,
consider both combat and operations other than war missions/deployments.
The initial deployment period should be considered from initial entry to
no more than 6 weeks. Your responses are anonymous but we ask for some
very general demographic at the end of the survey

[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] There were a large number of media waiting on the
ground to cover the arrival of my JTF/Unit

For the following, please rank order the PA support functions during
deployments from highest to lowest of importance, based on your experience
/ observations. Use a score or rating only once, with 5 being highest and
1 being lowest importance.

Timeliness Public Affairs assets/organization were on the ground within
____ hours / days of the initial deployment and were operational within
____ hours / days of arrival. (Please circle hours or days as appropriate)

Branch of Service (Please mark only one) [ ] U.S. Army [ ] U.S. Air
Force [ ] U.S. Navy [ ] U.S. Marines